Robie Benve Art

My painting Xmas Time at the Ohio Theater is one of those that for some reason resonate with a lot of people at a deeper level. Not only I received great feedback from viewers, but it also got accepted into two juried shows: the 2020 Ohio Art League Fall Juried Show and the 2021 Bryn Du Art Show. Moreover, a few weeks ago,  Brenda Layman, a talented writer, surprised me with an email telling me that she was inspired by my painting to write a beautiful poem! When I read it, I felt so honored and humbled that I started thinking on how we could present them together. I ended up creating a video featuring both images of my painting and Brenda's voice reciting the poem. Below is the link to the video. Brenda Layman and I are both members of the National League of American Pen Women, a wonderful group of professional writers, composers, choreographers, and visual artists. You can learn more about our NLAPW Central Ohio Branch on the website NLAPW Central Ohio Branch Click on the image ...

March Sky Mixed media: paper and acrylic on wood panel 8"x10" see on my website I'm a big Harry Potter fan, I've read all the books several times, and of course watched all the movies, even more times. I love the fact that the Hogwarts March music score (from my kids' practice sheets... shhhh ;) is still visible under this night view of the LeVeque tower in Columbus, OH. There is a lot going on in this little painting, and it reminds me of the busy night life of the city. I really enjoy the challenge of creating semi-abstract mixed media painting using layers of paper, paint, and creating unexpected patterns with my hand-cut stencils.

"Circle of Life" 10"x10" paper, fibers, markers and acrylic on wood. Available on my website During the making of “Circle of Life” I experimented with intuitive painting and mixed media.  There are lots of layers of paper, fibers, markers, and acrylic paint. As I worked on it, it kept changing. Sometimes, I fall in love with some details in the early stages, and it's hard to let them go and cover them up with the next layers. The great thing is that, even when a layer is covered up, it served by informing the process, and some parts of it might still be visible at the end, contributing to the overall look of a piece. April 2020, what a time in our lives! To all that are stuck at home waiting anxiously for the end of the social isolation, I wish you good health, love, and peace.  I hope you get many opportunities to enjoy the little things.  Some aspects of what we are experiencing now will make us better people, we might even miss parts of th...

Here is another version of the 4-leaf-clover from the last post. "Lucky" 6"x 6" Paper and Acrylic on panel See on my website I started this one with way more paper than the previous, and at times it was hard to cover the starting ground with extra layers because I really liked some parts of how it looks in the beginning stages. First, I used some red tissue paper, and then I covered that with some fibrous green paper that I got from the art store. Then, I cut shapes out of another special paper (that I bought from the art store as well) all along using soft acrylic gel medium as gluing agent. After this, it was layers upon layers of acrylic paint, trying to keep it transparent in some places, so that you could still see what was underneath. A fun challenge!

Two things happened today in my world. 1. I started a Corona Art Challenge with a weekly theme, and this week the theme is GREEN. 2. I painted a small, very green painting. Not bad for a quiet day indoors, uh? A Wish of Love and Good Luck Paper and acrylic on panel 6"x6" SOLD Now, the people that know me, are aware of my unbelievable luck at finding four-leaf-clovers. Yep, I'm one of those people that just look down and see one. Some people, like my children (lol), are very bothered by that. I guess my eyes easily catch the different pattern of the four leaves compared to the sea of three leavers. Fact is I don't need to loook hard, most times I glance down and see one. This drives my family crazy, because they can't find it even after I say there is one. lol Anyway, this particular one was on the edge of the street at last year's Columbus Arts Festival. It had just finished raining, and I was walking home when I saw it. I took a photo an...

Birch Trees I Birch Trees II Birch Trees III    I made this trio a few months ago as a way to experiment with mixed media and color. The texture and the orange sky colors are created by some fancy special papers that we artists like to splurge on. Then there is paint, more paper, and some patterns created with my hand-cut stencils, In short, they were a fun experiment, and I really like the outcome. The three paintings, which could be purchased individually or as a set, are currently on view at the Marcia Evans Gallery in the Columbus Short North, 8 E Lincoln Ave.

"Natural Wonder" 8"x8" Mixed media: acrylic, paper, markers, and fibers. Available on my website This little guy (20 x 20 cm) is part of a small series of mixed media landscape painting done from my imagination, with no reference photo, all very similar in composition. I started creating the composition with paint and paper on a wooden panel, then I added several layers of tissue paper and paint. I also added some fibers to create the tree trunks. Below is an mid-stage photo of the process. Mid-stage work in progress creation of Natural Wonder. In this particular piece I wanted to preserve the pattern of the confetti tissue paper, so I added several layers of transparent acrylic fluid paint from Golden. The final result is very textural and has a lot of interesting marks. To apply the paper and the fibers I use acrylic soft gel medium from Golden. It serves as a glue, but it's a high quality acrylic binder, pretty much it's like acry...

Sometimes I need to step out of my usual body of work of landscapes and city scenes, which I usually paint from photo, and dive into the fascinating process of painting from life using mixed media. So, here it is, Sweet and Sour, an example of such a case. It came out colorful and fun, and I'm really happy with it. I used acrylic paint, paper, and water soluble pastels. I did not use my stencils in this, I feel like it has enough interesting marks as is. "Sweet and Sour" 10" x 10" Acrylic, paper, and water soluble pastels. SOLD From An Abstract Start I started on a wood panel that I had primed with gesso, and created a base using paint and tissue paper. Some of the paper had patterns on it, you can still be see some of the polka dots. I really like that touch of whimsical :) With An Abstract Way of Seeing Things I added paint to created the forms of the different objects, focusing on one shape at the time,  looking at things in an abstract ...

"Short North in Red" 8"x10" Acrylic, paper, ink, and charcoal on wood panel The Columbus Short North never fails to get me excited about painting it. :) Every time I go I just have to take pictures that I stash away in a reference photo folder and boy, do they come in handy! This photo in particular (see below) was taken from the car, thanks to my lovely passenger at the time. Gotta love when you have someone snapping away for you, so that you don't become a danger on the road, lol. I started with a ground of various papers, including music sheets, ink, and paint, and I built it from there. See the picture below... Start of the painting above. The mixed media includes paper, acrylic paint, charcoal, and ink. I painted most of it at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, in a painting class. You should have seen the faces of my classmates as they approached and peeked at what I was doing, all confused by the random patterns, trying to say somethin...

Like many others of mine, this painting started with a colorful abstract mixed media base. I love to let the initial spontaneous (and crazy) elements provide a guide to the intuitive process of creating the next layers.  As I added layers of color, mainly with a palette knife, I allowed some of the base to peek through. The resulting work is vibrant and happy. The unexpected colors add visual interest and catch the viewer's attention.  "Spring River" 8x8 inches Acrylic and paper on wood panel. SOLD You can see the initial base below. I used colored and patterned paper, acrylic paint, and my unique hand-cut stencils to create a totally random ground with fun patterns and bold colors. Thy all somehow contribute to the creation of moments of surprise and fun that carry through to the final painting.  The kind-of-crazy starting point for Spring River: paper and acrylic paint. Thanks for reading, blessing! :) Sold! Thank you so much to the wonderful...

The Columbus John Glenn International Airport has a history of supporting the arts and local artists. In cooperation with the Ohio Art League, a different artist is featured every two months in the Gateway to the Arts Gallery, accessible by the general public at the ticketing level , by Max & Erma’s. Robie Benve (me! :) is the featured artist for the months of October and November 2019. I installed my exhibit on September 30. 23 of my paintings will be on view until December 2. 13 oil skies and landscapes on one side, 10 mixed media abstracts on the other. The Gateway to the Arts Gallery is accessible by the general public at the ticketing level of the John Glenn International Airport, in Columbus, OH. A view of Robie Benve's exhibit. 13 oil paintings on the left side of the hallway, 10 mixed media paintings on the right side, half are small abstract, and half are from my Close Up Views of Our Body series.     A view of the two walls of my solo sho...

"The Nutcracker at the Ohio Theater" 8"x10" Acrylic and paper on wood panel SOLD A yearly tradition for many during the Xmas holidays, going to see The Nutcracker ballet by Tchaikovsky is always a wonderful experience. So many memories are made inside of the lovely and historic Ohio Theater, in the heart of Columbus, OH. I wanted to capture a loose and lively rendition of the moment when people arrive to see the show, with the warm lights and the excitement of the evening. It makes me want to check what show is on this week! :) This piece will be in the Summer Show of Art at Marcia Evans Gallery in the Short North Arts District, 8 E. Lincoln St, Columbus, OH. On view: June 1 - 30 August 2019.

"Short North" 8"x10" Mixed Media on wood panel (Acrylic and paper) SOLD I love the Columbus Short North with its characteristic arches. A pleasure to paint. The area is undergoing some major renovations and improvements and its getting better and better. High Street is where you find the life of the party. :) This painting will be available in a few days through Marcia Evans Gallery 8 E Lincoln St, in the Short North Arts District of Columbus, OH.

"Breathing" 8"x10" Mixed Media on panel Sold A painting from when I finally got over the shock of becoming allergic to oils and took the courage to paint en plain air with acrylic and mixed media. I loved creating this baby at Hoover Reservoir Park. The day started foggy and gray and I almost did not go out to paint. Once there, the sun came out and made it a very enjoyable experience. First, I created an abstract and colorful mixed media under-painting with paper, acrylic gel, and hand-cut stencils. Then, I picked my subject and started painting with acrylic paint and palette knife. I love how loose it came out and how the bright under-painting glows through in several spots. I think I've found a great way to use acrylics outdoors. They dry so quickly that I thought it was impossible, but this technique makes it faster and doable. Yay!!

I'm a little late posting this, it has been a very busy week. Day five of the 20-minute challenge "A Walk on the Beach" 8"x8" Mixed Media, acrylic and paper Available on my website The fun I had doing this is hard to explain. Mostly due to the fact that I worked from a mixed media under-painting done with paper, acrylic gel, plus hand-cut stencils and acrylic paint. The random texture and patterns on the base made the behavior of the paint very unpredictable, and I really enjoy the ground color shining through. I created the under-painting before deciding what I would paint on it.

Today I did something a little different for my 20-minute challenge. I used an abstract underpainting that I had ready in the studio, on a panel a bit bigger than the previous days, you can see how it looked like below. I went from a 6x6 to a 8x8. It does not seem like much of a difference but it's a good 28 extra square inches that need to be covered with paint in the same 20 minutes. The abstract base made it a little more challenging, but also so much fun! I stretched a little the rules and worked some extra minutes after the timer went off. I just needed a few extra touches. :) Here is the final painting. "Spring River" 8"x8" Mixed Media on panel, acrylic and paper $80 Do you want to see the abstract mixed media base from which I started? Here it is :) Made with paper, acrylic paint, and custom hand-cut stencils. Mixed media abstract underpainting acrylic and paper Fun!

Do you ever have periods in which things go well and you are afraid to wake up?  I'm in such a period right now. Things are going well, and I am so afraid the it will end out of the blue, just like it started. But hey, in the meantime, I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute of it. Never waste something good, right? Home-life is going great and my artistic endeavor is giving me some satisfactions that I thought would never come. Not only people are buying my paintings, which is amazing all by itself - to know that they are willing to pay for the products of me having fun in the studio, and keep them in their home, where they look at them every day, how wonderful is that?? Also, I am now represented by a super nice art gallery, and the owner invited me to participate in a small group show of mixed media art. Yay! It was supposed to be a solo show for one of the other two artists but, being over-committed, she requested to have someone else to share the space with, and...

The busy month of September 2018, with its 30 paintings in 30 days challenge ended!!! Here is one more of my paintings completed in September. "Look Up and Cheer" Study 9"x12" Mixed media on canvas Sold I have a few more finished and half-finished paintings that I have not posted yet, hopefully I'll be able to take photos and post tomorrow. Even if I did not complete 30 paintings, as the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge seems to require,  I feel good nevertheless. I painted way more than I would have done without the challenge, I experimented new things, and I had lots of fun. Some days I had no time to paint at all, on other days I had to find the time with big efforts. Overall it has been a period of great discovery. I tried to do mostly studies with mixed media, using acrylic paint, paper, fibers, and home-made stencils, and this one is an example of the colorful palette that came out from this very out-of-the-box technique. I also managed...

"Red Glow" 9"x12" Mixed Media on canvas SOLD Here is another mixed media painting that started from a very random underpainting, full of colors and textures, and then I decided to turn it into a bright sunset on a rocky shore. I created the ground texture with paper of different kinds, including paper doilies, and with peelings from the dry palette. I painted over with acrylic paint, using various brushes and some home-made stencils for interesting patterns. I really like how it turned out. It makes me smile. :)

Last week an artist friend saw my latest paintings and told me that the colors reminded him of Wolf Kahn's work. Uh? Honestly I had no idea of how his work looked like, so I googled it and... I loved his colors and the simple shapes in the composition. Here is a small painting inspired by what I saw. "Standing Tall" 6"x6" Mixed Media on canvas $40 Thanks for stopping by.